The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-09-03

Pennsylvania, January 70, loJ 1. HIS father.
Daniel, was Pennsylvania German by birth.
His mother, Mary Shogb also Of German
descent, was b.rn IN Maryland. Their
children were Jacob. Joseph, George, Eliza.
beth. susarAsh. Jhn, Philip. David. Mary
A., Dsni'A, Cath' rine, aud Martin. or these.
David. Gizabs.h, George, Martin. and Ca'ha'
rine are dead. jacob lives near Sheridan ;
Jc1eph. 10 subject Of this sketch, near Nor.
way; Gusannah (now Mrs. Aewart), in
Washington county, Iowa; Mary A. Mrs
F~tsr), In Fowler county, Kansas; and
John and Philip, in Dearborn county, Ind.
Mr.. Mason remembers the paternal homo
in Pennsylvsnis IS being in the midst OF
heavily timbered country, where bears
roarned, owls hooted, wolves howled, crows
cawed, whip.o.wills-"whipped poor Will,'
mosquitoes sung and bit, nettles stung and
puats swarmed, and ra,tlesnakcs, black
snakes, lizards and no end of "spooks" and
other unknown, mysterious and unnamed
wild things made his boyish life burden.
TWO CHANGES OF BASE.
When he had attained and slightly passed
his ninth year, th2 family moved to llami!-
ton county, Ohio, west Of Cincinnati, and
settled on or near the lire between that State
and Indiana. They lived there about year
when they renowned the title Of buckeyes
ana assumed that Of "!loosiers' by moving
into Dearborn county, Indiana, a. the very
southeast corner Of that State, where they
remained until he was twenty FIVE years old.
Dusig. all his life, he received but six
months schooling, aud had no means Of Oh.
tanning my other sort OF an education than
such ns are furnished by a wei known
teacher whose name Is experience. But ike
other pioneer settlers, he had strongly de-
yeloped in him the gift Of close observation
which, coupled with IN excellent memory
and clear head, filed, IA an egg is with
meat, with good common sense, he made his
why with The best Of them. Besides these
advantages Of being always "wide awake,
and having perfectly reliable way of solv-
ing every question By practical rules, he
possessed fine physical constitution and
seemed impervious TO fatigue and defed the
numerous diseases to which most early set
tiers had to pay tribute.
He describes his Indiana home as a broken,
billy, wooded region, where wolves and bears
we're numerous, and neighbors few and far
between. Here his father and the older
boys. himself included, cleared q farm and
made considerable improvements upon it.
He saw the need Of more lacksmiths in that
region, and became one himself. serving
three years with one Jacob Lawrence, and
"grsdusting' with first class diploma a. q
full Hedged, brawny.armed son Of Vulcan,
ready and willing, Ms we'll as able to do any
work in the line Of his trade. Not finding
the field big enough for his talents, he went
to Cincinnati where he "smithed II" for six
months. About this time, rumors Of the
great fertility of the prairies Of Illinois had
ripened into certainties, md people were
leaving from oil directions in the East for
the " Sucke err State" He caught the emigra-
ton fever, and, procuring good horse,
started alone
ACROSS THR WILDERNESS
for the Eldoiado of the West. lie didn't
know exactly where he was going, didn't
care, had no objective point, he was simply
heading for Illinois on general principles.
lie crossed the Wabash river, one stormy
day in April, 1885. The wind howled, the
Trees wildly tossed their giant arms back
and forth, dead limbs creaked against the
Trees, the snow few in binding fury, and he
WAS Jorty, fee miles auoy from the nearest house,
and, besides, he was tired and hungry. He
crossed the river named at where Lafaye cite
now stands, then brush and swamp. Thence
he went 10 Ithics, also q town Of the then
future; and thence he struck west fort FIVE
miles across the prairies aud sloughs Of In.
llama and Illinois. Away, for In the night
10 saw the faint light Of candle in the dis.
snoe. We, who have since enjoyed tho
iarElins light Of gas, the bright fame Of .
kerosene lamp, and finally have revsled in
he brilliant, sun.like scintillstions OF the
electric light, can scarcely believe that the
light Of common candle, miles and miles
way. safely guided many belated traveller
.eross those bleak and traekless prairiss 10
lis homo, or tho particular tavern" sought
or. It would seem impossible that tho fec
,le light Of . "tsllow dip" could Be seen 90
ar; yet the old settlers will bear % on: in
be assertion, that on very dark nights the
'ays from such . source o: illumination
.ould be seen At . distance Of ave or six
niles. Mr.. Mason saw the light in question.
md II seemed 10 him that be rode several
,ours before he reached the house, which
proved to be at
oLIvxn's GROVE,
Il the head Of the Vermillion river. Here,
his famishsd condition, he
L.. Al AL ~